Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, a longtime New Englander, was watching the Boston Marathon on Monday when the afternoon’s events changed the race, and the area, forever. Bruschi was at the Lenox Hotel near Boylston Street as runners from his charity, Tedy’s Team, ran in the race. “That time, the four-hour mark, that’s when in my opinion the true spirit of the Boston Marathon comes into effect,” he said on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Monday night. “All of the runners are running for something, something that’s inspired them. Everyone has been touched by stroke on my running team. … All of these runners, this is when they finish. This is when all of their family members are there. It’s probably one of the most joyous times of the marathon because there are runners that have put their lives aside to raise funds and train. So many families are going through sacrifices. It takes a lot to run a marathon.” Bruschi said he had poked his head out a window after one of his charity’s runners had crossed the finish line, and he was watching more runners come down the street. “When I did, looking out to my right seeing the first explosion, from my vantage point on the left side of the street,” he said. “Looking at it, I was thinking to myself, ‘Did that just happen, and is that what I think it is?’ And right when I was thinking that, people started running toward me, and I realized what it was when I felt the second explosion to the rear of where I was looking out and sort of felt the whoosh from behind my head. I was in the middle of both explosions and looked to the left and saw the same thing happen there.” Bruschi also talked about the significance of Marathon Monday and Patriots’ Day. “Everyone’s just proud to be a New Englander, and you’re proud to show that by supporting people in the Boston Marathon or going to see your favorite team play,” he said. “It’s a day of pride for many New Englanders.”